


More than Okay

by WordsInTimeAndSpace



Series: More than Okay [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, F/M, Fluff, ace!Doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 23:04:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8420617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsInTimeAndSpace/pseuds/WordsInTimeAndSpace
Summary: Everyone assumes the Doctor is shagging Rose Tyler. But he isn’t. And no one seems to understand that he doesn’t really want to. It leaves the Doctor not only struggling with his new half-human body, but also with society’s expectations when it comes to their relationship.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Notes for my fellow ace people who might be uncomfortable with some parts: there is some making out in this story and some discussion about having sex, but I assure you that Rose is not pressuring the Doctor in any way.
> 
> This is a very personal story for me. Please be kind.

When Rose opened the front door, the flat was dark and silent. She let out a long breath, happy to be home after a few days away to solve the latest intergalactic crisis for Torchwood, but the person she had missed the most was not there. Since she’d brought the Doctor back home with her, her flat was rarely silent. He was half-human now, but that hadn’t changed his restless energy and the unstoppable gob.

“Doctor?” Rose called, flinging her purse and her jacket onto a chair before kicking off her shoes. She frowned when she got no answer, but then her gaze fell onto a piece of paper on the table. Messy handwriting, definitely the Doctor’s, saying that he was at the pub with Jake and his mates. Rose smiled at the heart he had scribbled down next to his name. It was staggering how easily they had fallen back into the romantic relationship they had started all those years ago, just a few months before she got stuck in the parallel universe. But it had made it even harder to be separated from him again, even if it was only for a couple of days.

Rose dug her phone out of her pocket and quickly texted him she was home. Rubbing a sore spot on her neck, she decided to take a bath while she waited for him. It was still early, and it would be a while until the Doctor was home.

She settled down for a long soak in the tub, letting the hot water relax her muscles and wash away the tension of the last week. Her eyelids grew heavy and when the water slowly turned cold Rose reluctantly climbed out of the tub. Wrapped only in a fluffy white towel, she emerged from the bathroom and startled when she saw the Doctor down the hall.

He was sitting in the living room on the couch, his head lolled back and his eyes closed. He looked tired and tense, but when she got closer he opened his eyes to meet hers. A bright smile bloomed on his face, hiding the strain in his features.

Rose grinned back, and before she could say anything the Doctor had jumped up and pulled her into a tight embrace. Wrapping her arms around his waist Rose held him close, hiding her smile in the crook of his neck.

“Hello,” she laughed, the joy to be back in his arms making her giddy. She felt the Doctor’s grin on his lips as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

“Hello. I missed you,” he said, sounding delighted but not quite able to hide his exhaustion from his voice. He nuzzled her hair and Rose tipped her head up to meet his lips with hers.

“Missed you too,” she mumbled against his lips when they pulled apart for a second, but a moment later the Doctor kissed her again, a touch more passionate this time. It was exactly what she had longed for the last few days they were apart.

Melting into his kiss, Rose was only vaguely aware that he guided her through the room to the couch. She yelped in surprise when he suddenly pulled her into his lap as he sat down. With a content sigh, Rose curled up against his chest. The Doctor wrapped one arm around her back and settled his other hand on her thigh, tracing small circles on her skin.

“Let’s not do this again anytime soon, yeah?” Rose sighed.

“Definitely not,” the Doctor said. “Next time I’m coming with you, no matter how many lectures I have to skip for that.”

Rose leaned up to kiss him again, longing for his touch, and the Doctor readily opened his mouth for her to deepen the kiss. But Rose wasn’t really prepared for the effect his affections had on her body. Clad only in a towel, every touch of his fingers against her naked skin sent heat sizzling down her core, and every swipe of her tongue against his clouded her mind further with pleasure until she couldn’t think straight. Before she could stop herself, she wriggled in his lap, desperate for friction, and let out a long moan against his lips. With her last bit of self control, Rose pulled back, breathing hard.

“Sorry, I’m-” she began, her voice breaking. She met the Doctor’s gaze, saw the hesitation in his eyes, the worry and fear that she hadn’t seen since they had first agreed on the terms of their relationship, all that time ago in another universe. He gulped, gripping her thigh a little harder.

“No, it’s… it’s okay,” he said, clearing his throat. He sounded tense, as if he had to force himself to say every single word. “We can… I mean, if you want.” He gently trailed his fingers up her thigh, under the edge of her towel, leaving a trail of warmth on Rose’s skin. Oh, this was new. And it was good. But it didn’t feel right.

The Doctor leaned down to kiss her again, but Rose pulled back and stopped his hand with a firm grip on his wrist. There was no way she could miss how hard his hands were trembling.

The Doctor met her gaze again, a question unspoken on his lips.

“Do you want this?” Rose asked gently.

A few seconds of silence. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak but closed it again before he tried again. “I want you to be happy,” he said, desperation lingering in his voice.

“I am,” Rose insisted. The doubt in the Doctor’s features nearly broke her heart. She reached for his hand and brought it to her lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “Really, I am. You make me happy, no matter if we have sex or not.”

The Doctor was silent, struggling for words. His pulse was racing under her fingertips. Rose gently ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm him. But it became obvious that he needed some space. In all the years with him, Rose knew when that was the case without him needing to say it. And it probably wasn’t helping that she was still in his lap, only dressed in a towel that showed more of her body than it was hiding.

“How about I go and get some clothes and you make us both a cuppa?” she suggested. “And then we can talk about it?”

The Doctor finally nodded, letting out a long breath, and Rose reluctantly moved out of his arms.

 

~~~

 

When she came back, the Doctor waited for her with two steaming mugs of tea on the coffee table in front of him. He looked calmer, but still wasn’t able to hide how miserable he was. When Rose entered he looked up and his lips curled into a soft smile. He patted the space next to him and Rose ruffled through his hair before settling down beside him.

“I mean it,” the Doctor said after they had both taken a sip of their tea. Still a strain in his voice. “That we could have sex. If you want.”

“Do _you_ want to?” Rose asked, confused. “You never did before, and I always told you that’s fine. Unless after the metacrisis…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

“The metacrisis didn’t change anything,” the Doctor finally admitted. “Having no desire for sex is nothing alien. It may have been more common for Time Lords than for humans, but I don’t feel any different just because I’m half human now. Well, still more Time Lord than human, but you know what I mean.”

“Then we don’t need to have sex,” Rose said, determined. The Doctor’s tense shoulders slumped, just a little, but he still didn’t look convinced.

“But if you want-”

“What I want more is that you don’t do something you’re not comfortable with,” Rose interrupted. She set her mug of tea down on the table and shifted until she could wrap an arm around him. It only took a second until the Doctor melted into her touch, embracing her to pull her closer into his side. Rose pulled her legs up to settle them in his lap and leaned her head against his chest. The Doctor pressed a kiss to the top of her head, let out a long breath, and finally relaxed.

“I love you,” he mumbled into her hair and Rose smiled.

“I love you too,” she said, reaching out to feel the beat of this single heart in his chest. “And I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like this is not enough for me.”

“You didn’t,” the Doctor insisted. “You’ve been perfect, really. It’s more what everyone else is saying.”

Rose looked up to meet his eyes, confused.

“What is everyone saying?”

The Doctor sighed, exasperated.

“Did you ever notice how much you humans focus on sex? Well, not all of you, I guess. Still, it’s ridiculous! I knew it was important for your species, but I never really realized how much until now. It’s like everyone expects us have sex. Why do they think it’s any of their business?”

Rose blinked. “I… I mean, yeah, of course I noticed it, but I never really gave it much thought.”

“Your mother, Rose! On that first night in the hotel in Norway. ‘Keep it quiet, you two’? Do you remember that?”

“Yeah,” Rose admitted, cringing. She did remember her embarrassment and how uncomfortable the Doctor had looked. “I’m sorry about that.”

“And then the tabloids, only last week. Did you see that ridiculous article? ‘The Vitex heiress’s new sex toy’? Are they serious about that?”

Despite everything, Rose couldn’t suppress a giggle. “That was awful,” she agreed, glad to see the Doctor’s lips curling into half a smile as well. “If anything, you’re my new cuddly toy.” She emphasised her point by squeezing his waist and laughed at the fake outrage on the Doctor’s face.

“Rose Tyler, that is not an acceptable nickname for the last of the Time Lords,” he protested, but pulled her closer all the same. He leaned down to peck her lips and stayed close, his lips lingering against her forehead.

“And then there was one of Jake’s mates tonight,” the Doctor said after a moment of comfortable silence. “He asked some inappropriate questions as soon as Jake was out of earshot. What it’s like to sleep with the famous Rose Tyler.”

Rose frowned. "I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Doctor.”

“It’s all right,” he said, combing his fingers through her hair. “It’s just, I merely suggested that maybe I wouldn’t want to do that, and he looked at me like I’m an alien. I mean, I am an alien, but he doesn’t know that! And he said if I’m not shagging you, he might have to give it a try.”

Rose snorted. “He doesn’t stand a chance,” she protested. “Not against you. You know that, right?”

The Doctor smiled at her, looking smug. “I know. But it’s still nice to hear it.”

“I’ll have to snog you extra thoroughly at the next Vitex event, just to let everyone know I’m definitely not available,” Rose teased, perching her head up for a kiss.

“That would be very kind of you, Ms. Tyler,” the Doctor answered, beaming at her, and pressed his lips to hers. They kissed for a long while, both relishing the tenderness they poured into the kiss. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and the Doctor shifted until they were lying on the couch, pressed close against each other.

When she pulled back, Rose was a little breathless and exhilarated that the Doctor was panting as well. She felt his breath ghost over her skin, felt his heart thumping under her fingertips, and was so wrapped up in his warmth and love that she thought her heart might burst from happiness. It was so intimate, to be so close to the Doctor, and that was all she needed from her relationship with him. No matter what everyone else said.

“I know that our silly human society can make you feel like you’re supposed to do certain things,” she started. “Like it’s expected from you. But I don’t expect you to do anything you don’t want to. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

“Thank you,” the Doctor said quietly, pressing his lips back to hers.

Rose raked her fingers through his hair and the Doctor let out a content hum, closing his eyes. The last bits of tension finally rolled off him and Rose smiled at the relaxed expression on his face.

“You okay?” she asked gently and the Doctor nodded.

“Yes. More than okay.”


End file.
